Treason
by dreamcatcher96
Summary: This is the story of the Titan army, from the first to join to the first to desert. Possible Thuke in later chapters.
1. A Spy

**This is an idea I've had for a while. I have to give some credit ****to my friends. We sort of came up with one of the characters together.**

_**I am not going to tell you when in the series this takes place, but I will say it is sometime before Sea of Monsters, but after Luke's quest for a golden apple.**_

Luke knelt on the forest floor, shivering as the cold November wind blew through the trees of Camp Half blood. The son of Hermes did not have time to worry about the weather: there were more important things on his mind.

_You will go on the field trip to Mount Olympus this December. _A cold voice spoke in Luke's mind.

"Yes, Lord Kronos," muttered the teenage demigod.

_You will steal the Master bolt and the Helm of Darkness._

Luke gasped. How was one kid supposed to be able to steal two of the most powerful items in the world? He couldn't. He wouldn't. "B-but L-lord Kronos, I c-can't," stuttered the son of Hermes.

_I don't recall asking if you _wanted_ to._

"But sir_ -_,"

_Enough. You have already pledged yourself to my army, disobeying your leader now would be treason. _Interrupted the Titan Lord.

"Some army." muttered Luke.

_What was __that__?_ asked the Lord of Time.

"Nothing, Lord Kronos," said the 18-year-old boy.

_I _thought_ so. After you have retrieved the bolt and the helm, you will bring them to me._

"Yes, Lord Kronos," Luke replied obediently.

The sound of a single twig snapping in the bushes behind the spot where the teenager knelt broke the silence, echoing across the small clearing. Luke leapt up, grabbing Backbiter from its spot on the ground next to him. He went to the bushes and pulled back a few branches. A small girl hid there, crouched down. It was obvious that she had been spying on her half-brother.

Her curly brown hair went about halfway down the orange camp half-blood shirt that she was wearing. She also had on a pair of shorts, but wore no shoes or socks. She looked like she was about nine years old. Her ears were slightly pointed, and her eyes were a soft blue, the exact same shade as Luke's eyes. She was Emily, a demigod from cabin eleven; a daughter of Hermes.

Luke grabbed the small girl by her sleeve, pulling her up. "How long have you been spying on me?" he demanded. There was still a chance that she hadn't heard anything too important.

"A while," admitted the girl, nervously. "What's going on, Luke? Are you working for Kronos?"

Luke glared at his half-sister. "You'd better not tell anybody about this." Luke gestured toward his sword, which was still sheathed, for now.

"Don't worry, Luke, I won't. Actually, I was wondering if I could help too."

"But -,"

"It took our dad more than a _year_ to claim me. I had been waiting and waiting. I wanted to leave cabin eleven, but even when I got claimed I was still stuck in a sleeping bag on the floor. It's not fair."

"Are you sure, Em?" Luke asked his sister. Emily nodded.

_The child can join us, she might be useful, but first she must prove herself._ Kronos spoke in Luke's mind. _Tell her that she must wait until there is something that we need to be done._

"Okay, you can join, but only if you can prove yourself. I'll tell you what you need to do later."

Emily nodded again, then bowed her head slightly, "thank you, Master Luke."

Luke grinned. He just might get used to that. The conch horn sounded in the distance, signaling dinner time. Luke took Emily's hand and they ran out of the woods together, just barely able to get back to camp before anyone noticed that they were missing.

**This chapter was last edited on 11-11-2010**


	2. A Thief

Emily awoke, sitting up in her sleeping bag. She glanced around cabin eleven; it was empty, except for herself and a few unclaimed campers, all of whom were still fast asleep. Emily gazed at the bunk beds enviously and sighed. Her status in the cabin was still fairly low, too low to deserve a bunk. She shivered as she climbed out of her sleeping bag and quickly pulled a sweatshirt on over her pajamas, not bothering to change into normal clothes.

Outside, snow fell lightly, sprinkling the heads of the few campers playing basket ball on the cold December morning. _December,_ she thought, _almost time for the winter solstice meeting._ But Luke had barely spoken to her since she'd spied on him in the forest the month before; it almost seemed like he was avoiding her. _But why? _

Emily made her decision, one that she had been contemplating for almost a month. She would talk to Luke; she could find a way to get his attention, to force him to listen to her. _But how?_

The daughter of Hermes walked outside, wincing at the cold. She'd have to wait until the cabin was empty to activate the plan that was still forming in her mind. Emily stood on the porch outside cabin eleven. Her eyes darted from place to place as she searched for a glimpse of her oldest half brother. She spotted him walking by the volley ball courts, headed toward the swords arena.

She relaxed on the porch until the few unclaimed kids left to go play basket ball. Once the cabin was empty, Emily began to put her plan in action. She climbed into Luke's bunk, a top bunk. Emily knew that this was not advisable, and that the second Luke got back he would demand to what the f*** she was thinking.

But that was exactly what she hoped would happen.

Luke returned from sword practice, Backbiter sheathed at his side. He saw Emily and immediately drew his sword, reaching up and gently pressing the tip against his half sister's throat. "Down. Now," he ordered tersely. The brown haired girl quickly scampered down the wooden ladder. Emily tried to glare at him defiantly, but her face was pale with fear. "What the Hades do you think you are doing?" he almost yelled.

"I-I wanted to get your attention. You've been ignoring me," she said, the fear in her voice easily detectable. "What's the plan?"

"You don't need to know."

"Yes, I do," she argued, "Can I come on the field trip? Can I help you steal the bolt and the helm?" Emily asked excitedly. "Please, Master Luke?" she added for good measure.

"No, of course you can't. You haven't even proven yourself yet."

"Only because you haven't told me how to prove myself."

"And you will do whatever I tell you?" Luke questioned. Emily nodded immediately. Luke grinned. "Then I order you to wait for further instructions." He commanded, lowering his sword and holding it at his side.

Emily sighed; she had clearly lost this argument. She bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Master Luke," she muttered, disappointedly.

"Do even you have a sword?" Luke asked as he sheathed Backbiter. Emily shook her head. "Get one." He ordered.

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm nine, they're not going to give me my own weapon!"

"Then steal it."

Emily gasped. If she was caught stealing from the camp, and something as valuble as a sword … But no, she'd have to do this if she wanted Luke to take her seriously, besides, she was a daughter of Hermes. She couldn't get caught stealing. _Could she? _Emily took a deep breath before replying."When?"

"As soon as possible. And change your clothes, no ones going to take you seriously if you walk around camp in pajamas."

"Yes, sir," responded Emily as Luke left.

It was late, well past midnight, but Emily lay awake in her sleeping bag on the cold wooden floor of cabin eleven. _A sword,_ thought Em, _How the Hades am I supposed to get a decent sword? I can probably steal one from the armory, but what if I get caught? That could lead to Luke's plan being revealed. He'd hate me if I did that. But, if I _can't_ get a sword; Luke might not even let me in his army. There's no way he'll trust me if I can't follow a simple order!_

The nine year old thought that everyone else was asleep, but she was wrong. Luke was awake in his bunk, hoping his little half-sister would notice the perfect opportunity to go steal a sword under the cover of darkness while everyone else in the camp slept.

She did.

Emily rose and climbed out of her sleeping bag. She moved slowly to avoid waking up the other half-bloods. She was still fully dressed, not having bothered to change into pajamas. The daughter of Hermes carefully stepped around a sleeping unclaimed camper as she made her way to the door.

"Good luck, Em," whispered Luke as she crept past his bunk, so quietly that Emily almost didn't hear. She spun around, turning to face her half brother, and almost tripped on a pillow. Luke laughed quietly.

"Thanks," whispered Emily, grinning. She exited cabin eleven and carefully closed the door behind her to prevent it from slamming. The nine-year-old stood on the porch for a moment, shivering and trying to calm her pounding heart. With a deep breath she climbed down the stairs and began to run across the snow-covered grass.

Emily winced, wishing that she had thought to put on boots or a jacket before venturing out into the snow. Her bare feet burned like she was walking through a lit fire instead of along a snowy path. Still, she made it to the armory. Emily stopped for a moment to catch her breath, then pulled a paper clip from the pocket of her jeans and bent it until it was straight, making a perfect lock pick.

Soon enough, Emily was inside the armory. She found a nice sword; it was celestial bronze with white leather on the handle. The sword was in a dark purple sheath. _Perfect,_ thought Emily as she grabbed the sword and drew it. The celestial bronze glinted in the darkness, illuminating the room, which had been almost pitch black. It was perfectly balanced in her hands. Em smiled and sheathed her new sword at her hip before stepping outside. It had started to snow again, which was good, because the snow would cover the footprints of the young thief.

As Em locked the armory and turned to head back to cabin eleven, her new sword sheathed at her side, someone spoke from behind her. It was a voice that she had never heard in her lifetime because the speaker hadn't cared about Emily enough to bother to talk to her, but she still recognized it immediately. Suddenly Emily was filled with an all too familiar feeling of loathing, and a little bit of something else: sadness, abandonment, longing, the feeling of wishing all of your childhood for something to happen, and the disappointment when he ignores you again.

His voice rang out, almost loud enough to wake someone up, to spoil her only chance to gain Luke's respect.

"And _what_, exactly, do you think you are doing, young lady?"

Emily twirled to face the god who stood behind her. A man with curly brown hair and blue eyes that matched Em's exactly leaned against the wall of the armory. Emily had been right in her guess about whom he was, but she was still shocked that he was finally acknowledging her existence. "You're...my dad," Emily muttered, incredulously.

Hermes nodded. "Good evening, Emily," He said in a tone that didn't let her forget that she was in trouble.

"I...um...wanted a sword...to…to… practice with." Em mentally cursed herself for not being able to think of a better reason. Her father nodded, accepting her excuse, but Emily knew that the god of thieves easily saw right through her lie.

_It's okay, _spoke a female voice in Emily's head, _there's plenty of good reasons to steal a sword._

_Like to kill rats with,_ interrupted a different reptilian voice.

Hermes rolled his eyes at the snakes' comments and put his cell phone on vibrate, silencing George and Martha. "Emily, you need to be careful. You're treading on thin ice here," said the god of thieves.

Emily rolled her eyes, ignoring her father's warning, "I needed a good sword, and Chiron would never have given me one, so I stole it. You of all people should be able to understand that, "she argued.

"It is your reason for needing a sword that worries me. I am here to give you a warning, Emily. You need to consider why you are doing this. Will you really gain anything from the choices that you are making? Your fatal flaw is not thinking things through, making important decisions too quickly, without realizing what effect they will have on your life."

Emily nodded, but she didn't really care about what her father had to say. She hated him for ignoring her, for waiting nine years before bothering to even talk to his own daughter, and all that she wanted was to go back to cabin eleven and show Luke that she had succeeded.

"I have to leave now Emily, but please try to remember what I have told you." Emily nodded and turned around so her father could disappear. Em sprinted back to cabin eleven before anyone else could stop her. When she arrived she saw Luke standing on the porch, waiting for her.

"Master Luke," Emily nodded to her half brother as she got to cabin eleven, and stood on the second of three stairs leading up to the porch.

"Get a sword?"

Emily nodded and handed it to him. Luke drew the sword and looked at it for a moment, then sheathed it and handed it back to her. "Does this mean that I've proven myself?" Emily asked excitedly.

"No, you'll have to do something a little harder than that to prove yourself, but you will be rewarded for this."

"How?"

"Follow me," said Luke, leading her into the cabin. He walked over to the bunk directly below his and woke the sleeping camper in it. "Hey Travis, can Emily have your bunk?"

Travis was about to object, but Luke gave him a look that told him to listen. "Sure," Travis yawned, then got a sleeping bag and found a spot on the floor.

"Thank you, Master Luke," whispered Emily, bowing her head in respect.

Luke nodded, smirking, and showed her a secret drawer under her new bunk that she could hide her sword in.

Emily went to sleep that night with a smile on her face. She had earned a sword, a bunk, and her brother's respect.


	3. Impatient

**The contest to name Emily's sword is still going, so submit your ideas in reviews.**

_Only three days until the winter solstice,_ thought Emily, who couldn't help but be excited. Their plans would all be in motion soon; it wouldn't be long until Kronos rose to power. _Until - , _Her daydreams were interrupted by the sound of the conch horn signaling the start of the next activity. Emily jogged to the arena. Luke was already there, practicing his swordsmanship with one of the camp's rusty training swords. "Why aren't you using Backbiter?" asked Emily.

Luke sheathed the sword and sat on a bench for a water break. "Lord Kronos gave Backbiter to me, so nobody else at camp can know about it yet, it would give us away." he explained quietly, so only his half-sister could hear.

"Oh."

"Come here," said Luke. He jogged over to the table and chose one of the dull practice swords. He handed it to Emily. "I'll give you some swords training." Emily hesitated; she knew how talented her half-brother was at sword fighting. Luke noticed her nervousness and laughed. "You promised to do whatever I tell you to do, remember?"

"Yes, Master Luke," she sighed and took the sword from her brother.

They practiced for forty-five minutes straight before stopping to take a break. Luke was clearly the better fighter, but Emily's skills were improving. They sat next to each other on the bench, drinking as much nectar as it was safe for a demigod to have.

"I have a potential new recruit," the son of Hermes told his half-sister.

"Who?"

"Chris Rodriguez, from our cabin."

"Unclaimed," noted Emily.

"Yeah, which makes him resent his parent," explained the son of Hermes.

"I know someone who would join us," said Emily, eager to impress her older half-brother.

"Do you?" Luke challenged her, smirking' "and who might _that_ be?"

"Silena Beauregard, sir," replied Emily, bracing herself for her brother's ridicule.

Luke laughed, "A daughter of _Aphrodite_, in an _army_?" Emily nodded. "And _how_ would that work?" asked Luke doubtfully.

"Simple – she has a huge crush on you."

"_How _do you know this?" questioned Luke, turning slightly red.

Emily shrugged, "I hear things."

"Could work, but first I have to get the master bolt and the helm of darkness."

"If you would only let me come with you -," Emily pleaded.

"Not happening."

"_Please, Master Luke?_" Emily begged.

"No," he answered tersely.

"But I -"

"Sorry Em," interrupted Luke, "it's Lord Kronos's decision, not mine. He says you can't be trusted with any important jobs until you've proven yourself." That was true, Luke was nervous about his task, and he would like to have Emily with him for support, even though he would never admit it.

Emily nodded. "When _can_ I prove myself?"

"Just _wait_, Emily, patience is a virtue," said Luke, annoyed with the nine-year-old.

"A virtue that I don't have," muttered Emily.

Luke laughed. They made their way back to the cabin together, planning their strategies.

**This chapter was last edited on November 29th****, 2010.**


	4. Obedient

A new layer of snow covered the ground. The morning sun shone over the treetops, lighting the valley. The year-rounders of Camp Half-Blood stood in small groups by a row of white vans, chatting excitedly. Two demigods stood away from the rest, leaning against the last van in the row. The girl was the only one of the half-bloods without a coat and a backpack. She shivered, but she didn't seem to care.

"Are you nervous?" Emily asked her half brother, even though the answer was clear; his face was a little pale and his palms looked sweaty. She didn't blame him, though. She'd be nervous, too, if it was her who had to steal two of the world's most powerful items.

"No, of course not." Luke leaned against the side of the van. The son of Hermes ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair, like he always did when he was lying.

Emily looked at the white camp half blood van longingly. It would leave for Olympus in a few minutes, but she knew better than to ask Luke if she could come; she was trying to prove to Luke that she was trustworthy, and that she'd listen to him. Emily _had_ to listen to him; she had joined the titan army, and Luke was the leader (not including Kronos). Disobeying her older brother's orders now would be treason.

Chiron informed the campers that it was time to depart, and the teenagers filed onto the vans. Emily watched as Luke sat down next to a blonde girl that she didn't know. They seemed to be good friends, though.

"You're sure you don't want to come, Emily?" asked Chiron. Emily nodded. The vans left one by one, and the valley at 3.14 Farm road was deserted, except for one small girl.

Emily lay back on her bunk, glad to have some rare quiet time in cabin eleven. She had hardly had any time to just relax since she had come to camp. Other campers got to relax, of course, their cabins didn't constantly have random demigods living in them. That was all her father's fault. He _had _to be the god of travelers. It _had_ to be his cabin that was used as a hotel for unclaimed campers. He _had_ to go and fall in love with mortal women and have demigods with them. Her mother _had _to be one of those mortals. Emily stood, wondering what her life would have been like if she were mortal. She would never find out, thanks to Hermes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Titan Lord, who had, evidently, been reading her mind. Emily winced as she was forced to kneel on the cold wooden floor of cabin eleven.

_Foolish girl. _This_ is how you choose to spend your free time? Sulking about things you have no control over? Perhaps you are not fit to be in my army after all. _The cold voice echoed, first in her mind, then around the room.

"S-sorry L-lord Kronos." stuttered the nine-year-old. The pressure of having the titan intrude on her mind made it difficult to utter even a sentence that short. The Titan's presence seemed to repel the little bit of warmth that had been in the room, and Emily shivered. She tried to stand, but found she was unable to move.

_You will go and improve your weak sword skills._

"Yes, Lord Kronos." Emily was also worried about her half-brother. She wondered how Luke's mission on Olympus was going.

_That is none of _your_ concern at the moment, as you have orders to follow. Go now, before I change my mind about allowing you to serve me. _

Kronos's presence disappeared. Emily had no time to be worried that he had just read her mind. She was sure that she wouldn't like the outcome if she did not follow the Lord of Time's orders immediately. She got her sword from the drawer under her bunk.

The daughter of Hermes searched for something to placate her shivers, but the cabin was too messy for her to find her jacket. Then she remembered that her jacket had disintegrated in the lava pool at the bottom of the climbing wall a few days before. Hesitantly, she grabbed one of Luke's sweatshirts and pulled it on. It was way too big, but at least she wasn't shivering anymore.

As Emily walked to the swords arena, she realized that she hadn't had a chance to get a good look at her stolen weapon yet; it had been dark in the armory when she took it, and she had been busy recently.

She drew her sword from its purple sheath. The weapon was pretty light, but she was small for her age, so it was well-balanced for her. The blade's name was carved in it in Ancient Greek: γρήγορος, _Swift. _Emily swung the sword. Its name spoke the truth: the blade cut through the air smoothly and quickly. Emily began to beat up practice dummies, using the moves that her brother had taught her, hoping that his mission on Olympus was going well.


	5. Excited

Luke walked into the throne room, silently shutting the door behind him. The Master Bolt crackled next to Zeus's throne and Hades' Helm of Darkness rested on a chair near the fire, seeming to radiate energy. Luke froze. He could barely breathe from apprehension. It occurred to him that he should just run away now, while he still had the chance to.

_You will do nothing of the sort. _The Titan Lord spoke in Luke's mind. The sheer pressure of this forced Luke to kneel on the cold stone floor. He realized that Kronos could take over his mind, control him, and even cause him extreme pain, easily, without even a second thought. The Lord of Time may be imprisoned at the moment, but he could do as he pleased. _Your orders are simple, Luke Castellan. Why are you having so much trouble completing them?_

"B-but I w-was-" Luke stuttered, afraid of the titan's powers.

_Enough. I do not need _you_ to lead my army if you can not follow simple orders. Perhaps I will have someone else complete the tasks that I need done instead. Maybe little sister of yours, she seems eager enough for a job. _

"No."

_What was that?_

"Lord Kronos, please, I-I'll do as you tell me to do, _anything,_ _please_ just leave Emily out of this."

_Interesting. Now, retrieve the bolt and the helm._

"Yes, Lord Kronos." He rose and slowly walked across the throne room, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor. Luke picked up the Helm of Darkness. He glanced around to see if anyone was watching, and slipped it into his backpack. Next, he walked over to Zeus's throne. The Master Bolt sparked and sizzled, as if it was reminding Luke how easily it could burn him to a crisp. His hand stretched out involuntarily; Kronos was controlling his actions. The son of Hermes was too distracted by this fact to notice that he was no longer the only one in the throne room. "I can do this myself." muttered Luke. Kronos allowed him control once again. The Master Bolt shrunk a little in the demigod's hand, losing some of its energy, almost as if the weapon was objecting to him picking it up. Luke was about to place it in his backpack when he felt something sharp and cold pressing against his throat, threatening to kill him. He mentally cursed himself.

The voice that spoke to him made him angry; as if it was urging him to get in a fight. Just eight spoken words were enough to provoke a wave of negative emotions: "Well, well, well. _What _do we have here_?" _

_Persuade him to join us. _Kronos ordered. The sheer weight of the Lord of Time intruding his mind would have forced Luke to his knees if it were not for the fact that the war god's sword was still pressed to the boy's throat, and he was fairly sure that Ares wouldn't hesitate to kill him on the spot if he made so much as the slightest move.

"Answer me, boy," growled Ares; he was quickly losing his patience.

"An opportunity, Lord Ares."

Keeping his blade pressed against the demigod's throat, Ares grabbed Luke's arm and pulled the boy around so that he was facing him. Luke winced as the war god's sword sliced a shallow cut across his neck while he was forced to turn. Blood began to drip slowly from the wound.

"What kind?"

"The opportunity to start a war, a great war of epic proportions, between the big three." Kronos told Luke exactly what to say.

The fires behind Ares' sunglasses burned brighter with excitement. He lowered his sword, and held it at his side. "How?"

Kronos made Luke hand Ares the backpack containing the bolt and the helm. Then the Lord of Time spoke in Luke's mind. _Mission completed, barely. Return to the field trip group now, Castellan. _I _will handle this from here._

Luke nodded slightly and left. Ares didn't try to stop him. The son of Hermes assumed that this was Kronos's doing. During the entire hour long bus ride back to camp, Luke couldn't stop thinking about how close he'd come to failing. He was lucky that Kronos had been able to fix his mistake.

When they arrived back at Camp Half-Blood, Emily ran right up to him, practically skipping with excitement, her sword sheathed at her side. He motioned for her to follow him away from the crowd of campers still getting off of the white vans. "Be less obvious, Emily." ordered Luke once they had walked far enough away from everyone else.

Emily sensed that something was bothering her half-brother; he seemed angry, and it probably wasn't the best time to test his temper. She quickly switched to army-mode. "Yes, sir."

"_Why _are you wearing my sweatshirt?" Luke inquired, motioning for her to give it back.

Emily blushed and returned it to him. "I was cold," she mumbled. She was worried that her brother would be mad, but he just laughed.

"Next time steal something from the camp store, okay?"

Emily nodded. "My apologies, Master Luke," she said, gazing down at her sneakers.

He smirked at the mention of his title. "Gather together the rest of the army and meet at the clearing."

"Yes, sir." said Emily before running off to find Chris and Silena, who had both joined the army, and, like Emily, were waiting to prove themselves.

Luke took a sip of nectar to heal the cut on his neck before heading to their usual meeting spot, the clearing in the woods that Emily had found him in a month before.


	6. Disobedient

"So, did he get the bolt and the helm or not?"

"I don't know, he just said for me to get you two and meet here."

"Did you even ask him?"

" Of course I did. He wouldn't tell me anything. I think he might have been upset about something," Emily replied, brushing the snow off of a rock and sitting on it. Chris sighed and leaned against a tree.

"He made us come all the way out here without telling you if the plan even _worked_?" Silena complained, trying and failing to hop to a rock without getting any snow on her new Uggs, an early Christmas present from her father. Emily giggled as the daughter of Aphrodite tripped and landed up to her knees in a snow drift. This earned her a glare from the shivering teenager once Chris had helped her up.

"What use is a pair of boots that you aren't supposed to get wet anyways?" She wondered out loud, gazing at her Converse, which were soaked through. The daughter of Hermes didn't have a rich mortal parent to send her expensive gifts.

Silena rolled her eyes at the tomboy, but she didn't get a chance to reply because Luke walked into the clearing at that moment. Emily, Chris, and Silena stood at attention immediately. The sandy-haired teen nodded to them, and they relaxed. The demigods took their seats in the driest spots that they could find.

"So now what do we do?" asked Chris.

"We wait. And Emily and Chris still need to prove themselves."

"What about Silena?" demanded Emily, upset.

"Yeah, what about me?" asked the older girl happily.

"She doesn't have to prove herself."

Emily stood. "That's not fair! Why do we have to prove ourselves if she doesn't? I-"

Luke stood up, hand on his sword, and interrupted the nine year old. "Sit down, Emily, and be silent." Emily obeyed, but glared at Silena until Luke kicked her in the shin lightly to make her stop. "As I was saying, Silena doesn't have to prove herself in the same way as you because she won't be a soldier like you two will."

"Hold on a second. Why can't I be a soldier?"

Luke offered her his hand, and she took it and stood up. He pushed a lock of hair out of her face and smiled, making her blush and smile back. "I have a more important job for you, Silena." The daughter of the goddess of love giggled. Luke turned to face Emily and Chris, but did not let go of Silena's hand. "Chris, Em, leave us. I need to speak to Silena alone." Chris got up, nodded to the leader, and started to leave, but Emily refused. "Emily, leave now or you'll be sleeping on the floor again starting tonight." threatened Luke.

Emily left, but then went to her old hiding spot in the bushes. She had to see what was going on.

"I can't let you be a soldier, Silena, you might get hurt," explained Luke, taking the girl's other hand. "This way, you get to stay at camp once we leave. And all you have to do is tell me what's going on. You just have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I promise," she whispered, taking a step closer to Luke.

He removed the silver scythe charm from his pocket. "Lord Kronos will give me another one after I leave, so we can talk whenever we want," said Luke as he unzipped her jacket and dropped the charm into the inside pocket.

"And we can be together, once the Titans rule?"

Luke ran his fingers through his hair. "Whatever you want." Their faces were now only inches apart.

"I can't wait," whispered Silena.

Luke leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "You should go back to your cabin now, it's getting late," he said after a few moments. "I'm going to stay here for a little while, maybe do some swords practice."

Luke waited until Silena was out of earshot, then drew his sword. "Out of the bushes, Emily, now," he ordered.

The child crawled out of her hiding spot. "How long did you know I was there, Master Luke?"

"Since you showed up. You're lucky you didn't ruin-"

"Ruin what? Your chances of getting a date?" Emily asked angrily.

Luke raised Backbiter, pressing the blade gently against his sister's throat. "Shut up. I wasn't _actually _flirting with her, genius. It was just strategy. Why would I date _her_? I'm doing this all for Th- ," He stopped himself.

"For who?"

"No one, and didn't I tell you to be quiet? You didn't hear that last part. Understood?" Emily nodded. "You need to learn some respect, Em."

Emily stepped back slightly. "It won't happen again, Master Luke."

"Good. Go back to the cabin now, okay?" He sheathed his sword.

"What about you?"

"I'm going for a walk?"

"Where?"

"Half-blood hill. Will you take my sword back to the cabin for me?" Emily nodded, and Luke handed her his sword. She took it and returned to cabin eleven.

Emily ended up staying up late that night. So late that she was the only one who noticed that Luke didn't get back until hours later. And when he got back, she could swear she saw tears glistening in his eyes in the moonlight. But that was crazy, because Luke Castellan doesn't cry.


End file.
